The Thermos Bottle

This lunch box essential has warmed hearts--plus coffee and soup--for more than 100 years.

This lunch box essential has warmed hearts--plus coffee and soup--for more than 100 years.

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Karl Juengel/Studio D

The Original

Invented
in 1892 by British scientist
James Dewar, the vacuum flask
became popular in the early
20th century as companies like
Thermos GmbH, Aladdin
Industries, and Stanley began
producing bottles for lunch
kits. Valued for their durability,
many of these containers
were made from insulated
aluminum or steel. Midcentury
examples, such as this 1950s
Thermos, often cost as little as
$10, while models from the early
1900s can fetch $50 or more.

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Karl Juengel/Studio D

Charitable

Do good
while drinking up. All
net proceeds from the sale
of this bottle — covered
in recycled telephone wires
by disabled artisans — benefit a children’s hospital
program in Vietnam.
($48; spiralfoundation.org)

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Karl Juengel/Studio D

Arts and Crafts

Bottle
service gets a new (old-fashioned)
image thanks to
Wild and Wolf’s canister,
which features a William
Morris–inspired pattern.
($27.50; aldeahome.com)

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Karl Juengel/Studio D

The Steal

Beverages of
any stripe will keep their
temperature for up to five
hours when stored in
this rainbow-hued jug by
Shanghai Flasks.
($16; 310-600-4133)

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